| Listen to recent Learning the Birds episodes: |
 Great Blue Heron-
Perhaps the tallest, thinnest bird in North America, the widespread and hypersensitive Great Blue Heron is most often seen flying away from its hunting ground on the edge of a lake or pond.
(aired
02/07/12) |
 Cormorants-
Fishermen call them Shag, Bird World calls them Cormorants. Meet an odd waterbird with webbed feet and a buzzard’s beak, often seen wings akimbo drying its waterlogged wings.
(aired
01/31/12)
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 Gimpy- Ruth remembers her favorite Wild Turkey, a crippled gobbler called Gimpy -- a bird she always imagined as a feathered Rigoletto in a Wild Turkey Opera.
(aired
01/24/12)
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 Fox Sparrows- Our largest native sparrow is the Fox Sparrow, a handsome bird, an accomplished singer, and a talented ventriloquist.
(aired
01/17/12) |
 Barn Owls - Learn about a widespread "a-typical" native known as the Barn Owl, famously described by Roger Tory Peterson as, "long-legged, knock-kneed, and monkey-faced."
(aired
01/10/12) |
 The Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker- The Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker is considered by some to be the nerdiest bird in the world. Learn why sapsuckers are misnamed, how they maintain a well, and why they don't really suck at all..... (they lap.)
(aired
01/03/12) |
 Wintersong - Winters may be bleak, but our winter birds keep the High Plains air full of song. We celebrate winter with a medley of familiar birdsongs, discovering along the way how many songs we already know.
(aired
12/27/11)
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 Four Christmas Birds - Ruth investigates three birds traditionally associated with Christmas, then sets off in search of a fourth -- an elusive species found exclusively in December.
(aired
12/20/11)
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 Pine Siskins - If it’s almost a Goldfinch but has too many stripes, then it’s probably a Pine Siskin! Look twice for these dainty stripy finches with a drop of stained-glass yellow in the wings.
(aired
12/13/11) |
 White-throated Sparrow - White-throated Sparrows sing a sweet song in the cold winter months and offer scientists a wealth of material. Many studies focus on a connection between the color of certain head-stripes and unusual mating habits.
(aired
12/06/11) |
 Winter Goldfinch - Goldfinches are welcome winter visitors to the High Plains, lovely birds making lively music and setting the gold standard for cold-weather backyard birds.
(aired
11/29/11) |
 Tree Sparrows
- The name of the American Tree Sparrow is misleading, since this sparrow prefers the tundra where there are no trees, and often spends the winter in a High Plains wild plum thicket.
(aired
11/22/11)
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 Redbellied Woodpecker
- Learning birds includes learning their names and some names are more evocative than others. We focus our sights on the Red-bellied Woodpecker and learn why its name evokes the darker past of early ornithology.
(aired
11/15/11)
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 Heath Hens
- A vanished cousin of the Prairie Chicken was the Heath Hen, once common across the Atlantic states but declared extinct in 1932. Learn why early conservation efforts failed to save this immensely popular native game bird.
(aired
11/8/11) |
 Winter Warblers
- Winter weather keeps many warblers away from these High Plains, but the Yellow-rumped Warbler is a widespread winter visitor - a hardy little bird more handsome than its name implies.
(aired 11/1/11) |
 Snowbirds
- When winter approaches, and our spirits need a lift, the snowbirds arrive to provide it. Find out why a bird found across the continent, and described by Audubon in 1831 is still not listed in any North American bird book.
(aired
10/25/11)
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 Collared Doves
- Mourning Doves aren't the only doves on the block anymore. We consider the invasive, prolific, omnipresent Eurasion Collared Doves, and their monotonous one-note samba.
(aired
10/18/11)
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 Brewer's Blackbirds
- We consider the widespread, but overlooked, Brewer's Blackbirds- uncommonly lovely iridescent birds that are often seen in enormous swirling flocks. They do much good for High Plains farmers, and engage year-round in an odd behavior know as "shadow sitting."
(aired
10/11/11)
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 Wilson's Meadowlark
- Alexander Wilson, one of the first great American ornithologists, wrote about the Eastern Meadowlark in 1828. We consider this early take on a popular High Plains bird.
(aired
10/04/11) |
 Dickcissels - Sometimes called, "the little Meadowlark," the Dickcissel is a summer-visitor from South America, a yellow-breasted flashy dresser, and tireless singer of a song that resembles its name.
(aired
09/27/11) |
 Yellow-billed Cuckoo - The cry of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo has been descirbed by the poet, Wordsworth, as a, "wandering voice." This bird even has its own day, June 21, known as, "Cuckoo Warning Day." Learn about this secretive , widespread bird many know as the, "Rain Crow."
(aired 09/20/11) |
 Eastern Bluebirds - The Eastern Bluebird might have disappeared from North America if not for a grassroots conservation effort that helped save this gorgeous native bird. Learn how to build your own bluebird trail today and join in celebrating the success of the Bluebirders.
(aired 09/13/11) |
 Wilson's Phalarope- The Wilson's Phalarope is an exotic aquatic sandpiper that swims inside its own circular wake to feed. Males rear the young, females wear the breeding plumage, and together they are often found spinning away in many a High Plains pond.
(aired 9/06/11 |
 Pelicans- Pelicans are birds of massive proportions and odd anatomies, including an 18-inch beak that is a beak on top and a flexible pouch on the bottom. We explore why the fish-eating pelicans are known by some as, "grotesque, but interesting."
(aired 8/30/11)
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 Grebes- Grebes are pimitive birds, just a run above Loons on the evolutionary ladder. They are pathetic in the air, yet masterful in the water, and famous for a mating dance performed on the waves sometimes called a, "water ballet."
(aired 8/23/11) |
 Loons- Loons have been described as the most primitive form of bird life. Learn why this ancient creature has never quite learned how to walk, and why loons and lunacy are often lumped together.
(aired 8/16/11)
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 Swans- There may be nothing as lovely as a swan. We explore four swans likely to be found in the heartland: Tundra, Trumpeter, Whooper, and Mute. We'll also learn whether the Mute swans are actually mute.
(aired 8/9/11) |
 Yellowlegs- When the weather's hot, we head for the shore and two birds, we're likely to see are the Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. Learn tricks both visible and audible for telling these shorebirds apart.
(aired 8/2/11) |
 Mockingbirds- Today, Ruth takes on the Mockingbirds, and explains how the neighborhood Mimids are always playing tricks on her.
(aired 7/26/11)
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 Jaeger's Poorwill- It was 1946 when, in the Colorado desert, Edmund Jaeger described an encounter with a hibernating Poorwill, which resulted in the first official report on this baffling phenomena.
(aired 7/19/11) |
 Red River Country- In 1876, a party of surveyors set out to map the headwaters of the Red River, and kept meticulous logs of the birds found on their historic expedition through the Texas Panhandle.
(aired 7/12/11) |
 Screech Owls- Screech Owls are the small, tufted owls of the open woods. In certain corners of the High Plains, both Eastern and Western Screech Owls are found, so we'll learn how to tell them apart.
(aired 7/05/11) |
 Hummers at Home- Hummingbirds are one of nature's most beautiful creations. We explore hummingbird flight and learn how to attract these amazing birds to our backyards.
(aired 6/28/11) |
 Young Cardinals- Watching a family of Cardinals is more fun when you can tell them apart. Today, we learn a surprising, foolproof way of identifying juvenile Cardinals.
(aired 6/21/11) |
 Burrowing Owls- Burrowing owls live in relative harmony with prairie dogs and snakes. Consider the unusual habits of these long-legged, ground-dwelling owls, and learn why they're called the "Howdy Owl."
(aired 6/14/11) |
 Prairie Chickens- Join Ruth in search for leks, those ancient grassy, "booming grounds," where native Prairie Chickens put on their outlandish mating display.
(aired 6/07/11) |
 Passenger Pigeons- The fate of the Passenger Pigeon may be the saddest story in the Bird World- a bird that once darkened the skies of North America, but became extinct in only fifty years.
(aired 5/31/11) |
 Great Horned Owl- Great Horned Owls eat everything from skins to kangaroo rats including the occasional housepet, but mostly they eat rodents. We explore the valuable service they provide and consider their owlish anatomy.
(aired 5/24/11) |
 Kinglets- Kinglets are the second-smallest bird in North America- even smaller than warblers. Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets keep their namesake crowns well-hidden as they migrate through the High Plains.
(aired 5/17/11) |
 Titmice- It's not always easy to talk about the Titmouse, but set your hesitation aside, and embrace a bird that is too adorable for words.
(aired 5/10/11) |
 Catbirds - Imitating other birdsong, along with cell phones, car alarms, and all things mechanical, Catbirds serve up a mix of mimicry and music- if, such a racket can be described as music.
(aired 5/3/11) |
 Albatross - We go far afield to consider the Albatross- a celebrated seabird, and a "super-efficient, high-speed, gliding machine."
(aired 4/26/11) |
 Orchard Oriole - The brick-red Orchard Oriole is a bird with a survival strategy. Discover how an alliance with Kingbirds helps these tiny birds fend off a terrible foe.
(aired 4/1911) |
 Red-shouldered Hawk - The Red-shouldered Hawk is gorgeous to look at, and vocal for a hawk, with a curious flair for home decor.
(aired 4/1211) |
 Black-necked Stilts - We meet a shorbird on red stilts: the Black-necked Stilt has longer, thinner legs, than any other shorebird, but is named for its half-black beak.
(aired 4/5/11) |
 Yikes, Shrikes! - A shrike is a bird that could frighten Alfred Hitchcock, a predatory songbird, often called, "The Butcher Bird," for its singular ghoulish habits.
(aired 3/29/11) |
 Snow Buntings - The Snowflake is an old name for the Snow Bunting, a bird so much whiter than other sparrows, it seems an animated gust of artic air.
(aired 3/22/11) |
Heath Hens - A vanished cousin of the Prairie Chicken was the Heath Hen, once common across the Atlantic States, but declared extinct in 1932.
(aired 3/15/11) |
Barn Owls - Barn owls are possibly the oddest member of an odd bird family. Meet the bird Roger Tory Peterson described as, "long-legged, knock-kneed, and monkey-faced."
(aired 3/8/11) |
 Wings Across the Moon - Because most songbirds migrate at night, tracking their movements is difficult. In 1946, a dedicated group of scientists utilized the moon to gain new insight into the mysteries of avian migration.
(aired 3/1/11) |
 The Muse - Ruth reads us a story called, "The Muse," written by the late, great, Texas birder and nature writer, June Osborne.
(aired 2/22/11) |
 Ducks - Waterfowl are plentiful in the High Plains lakes and ponds, making winter an excellent time for sorting out ducks.
(aired 2/15/11) |
 Lark Sparrows - Consider the Lark Sparrow, a striking, High Plains, bird with vocal abilities too often interruptedby buzzes and noise.
(aired 2/08/11) |
Fox Sparrows - One of our largest native sparrow is the Fox Sparrow, a handsome bird, an accomplished singer, and a talented ventriloquist.
(aired 2/01/11) |
 Song Sparrows - It may be no surprise that Song Sparrows are excellent singers. Learn what sets this widespread songster apart from its fellow sparrows.
(aired 1/25/11) |
Tree Sparrows - Learn what a sparrow named "American Tree" can teach us about the Canadian tundra and the High Plains plum thickets.
(aired 1/11/11) |
White-throats - The White-throated Sparrow has much to offer. Learn the sweet song they sing through the cold, winter months, and reflect on their unusual mating habits.
(aired 1/4/11) |
Learning the Birds
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